20 new cases, count mounts to162

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8

With 20 fresh cases, the number of Covid cases reached 162 in the state on Wednesday, a jump of 14.1 per cent from 142 the previous day.

As many as 12 fresh cases were reported from Gurugram district, followed by Sonepat (3) and one each from Kaithal, Faridabad, Ambala, Fatehabad and Nuh. Thirtyeight cases have so far been reported from Nuh, 32 from Gurugram, 29 from Palwal and 28 from Faridabad. The state has witnessed three deaths and 18 persons have recovered.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also described these four districts as Covid hotspots of the state during an all-party meeting through videoconference to discuss the situation in the state with political leaders on Wednesday. Leader of Opposition and ex-CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda assured the government of all support and cooperation in the fight against Coronavirus.

Of Gurugram’s 12 cases, 11 were Tablighi Jamaat followers from Himachal Pradesh, who were evacuated from a Sohna mosque. The district administration has implemented a containment plan and initiated door-to-door screening of densely populated clusters and vulnerable areas.

In Kaithal, a 9-year-old student of Madni madrasa at the local mosque tested positive. A Jamaati had tested positive in the area on April 4 following which people living in the mosque were quarantined and tested.

Home Minister Anil Vij said Tablighi Jamaat members who failed to report to authorities would now be booked under law as the deadline for them to report themselves to the authorities ended at 5pm on Wednesday. Vij, who is also the Health Minister, has maintained that the spike in Covid cases in the state was due to Jamaat members.

“The deadline given to them has ended. Those who will be tracked down now and found Covid positive will be booked under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder),” Vij said. He justified invoking of stringent punishment, saying Covid was a “highly contagious and fatal disease and someone who deliberately conceals it even after being given enough time deserves to be strictly dealt with”.

There is no data available on the actual number of Jamaatis. The state has registered FIRs against foreigners who attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi against the social distancing protocol amid the coronavirus outbreak and had come on tourist visas. According to ADGP Navdeep Virk, 1,562 Jamaatis had been tracked till Wednesday. These included 107 foreigners, 1,036 from other states and 419 from Haryana. More than 100 Jamaatis have tested positive so far.

Meanwhile, the state has recorded 6,376 violations of lockdown for which 1,892 FIRs have been registered and 2,613 persons arrested. Also, 7,044 vehicles have been seized and a fine of Rs 9.26 crore imposed upon them under the MV Act.

Besides, 68 FIRs have been registered against 86 persons and 41 arrests have been made for spreading fake news or rumors on WhatsApp and social media. Also, 492 cases under the Excise Act have been registered and 550 persons arrested.